Tom Floyd is a distraught parent after his daughter disappears on a cold night in December. His relationship is quickly falling apart, and Tom is worried he will never see his daughter again. Over a year after her disappearance, Tom hires PI Marshall York to try to find his daughter. As York digs, not only does evidence start emerging, but so do some deep, dark secrets.

The Fear of Winter is a dark, harrowing tale of desperation, longing, and pain. Sterling pulls at one of the most human threads - love. What you would do for love and where love can drive you. This book is a slow burn that digs its icy fingers around your wrist and refuses to let you go. You see a tale of family loss, how it destroys two parents and their relationship, and what lengths they will go to in order to get answers about their missing daughter. It's a mystery and thriller all tied into one genius novel.

This novel is a classic missing-persons thriller. I'm a huge fan of detective novels, and this one is right up there with some of the best. It's a perfect winter read that fans of Harlan Coben, Joe Nesbo, and Michael Connelly will love.

I was totally prepared to write this off as another mediocre mystery about a missing girl and the search to find what happened to her. Although it is about that I was pleasantly surprised to find myself being pulled into the story and enjoying the characters, (flawed with demons of course), the effect of a missing child on a relationship and the stark, cold beauty of Colorado in the winter. I’m glad I didn’t bypass this one and since it appears to be the start to a series I’m looking forward to the next one.

The ending? Well, that you must see on your own.

Well I enjoyed this book. I was instantly wrapped up into this story from the first page..

I absolutely loved these characters especially Hannah. I loved following this mystery and look forward to the next one.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me to read this book.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and aren't influenced by anyone else

This was sucg a good read, I loved it I couoldn't put it down. The writing was engaging, the story compelling and the characters so well developed they could have jumped out of the pages. I was gripped from the start and on the edge of my seat for most of it. I cannot wait to read more by this author.

I loved everything about this book! If it had another 150 pages I would have loved it even more. The characters were rich with depth, and all had their own quirks which added even more to the story. I’m hoping this will be a series of some kind. Maybe not all the same characters,:but I’d love to see more of Tom and Hannah. It was riveting, kept my attention, but left me wanting more. This is one of the best short books I’ve read this year, and I really look forward to great things to come from S.C. Sterling! I would highly recommend this to anyone, but if they’re not captured by it, I’ll eat my hat!!! Kudos to S.C. Sterling!! Job well done!

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

This book was very enjoyable, but felt a bit choppy. There were issues for me with the transition between points of view of the characters, especially at the beginning. Once you understand who is speaking it gets better. The plot and mystery surrounding it was well developed as were the characters. A good read..

Thank you @netgalley for the ARC of The Fear of Winter by S.C. Sterling. It is a debut novel and the first in the series. It is a fast paced thriller. I thought some of the characters could have been more fleshed out and given more depth. I am interested to see what the next book in the series will be. Tom is searching for his daughter, Megan, who is missing and presumed dead. He hires a private investigator to help the search as well as his assistant, Hannah. The investigation becomes dangerous for all involved.

A sensational novel for debut crime thriller writer C.S. Stirling that is up there with the best. Brilliantly written and a powerful 'true to life' story. Utterly chilling, engrossing, and full of twists that enhance the storyline. This novel is highly recommended as a must read for all crime thriller readers and more than worthy of five stars.

The Fear of Winter by S.C. Sterling was interesting, fun and a great mystery.

Megan Floyd disappears in the mountain town of Fraser, Colorado.
The long search ends up with no new answers or clues so the disappearance goes cold.
Tom Floyd, who is an ex-cop and Megan's father worst nightmare has come true. His daughter will never be found.
His life and marriage are in shambles and his world completely falls apart.
One year later the disappearance still has no new leads, Tom seeks the help of a PI Marshall a former detective and Hannah his assistant.
They stay to piece together Megan's life and discover dark secrets and a precarious second life.
Hannah is trying fight her own demons. And is tormented by the unsolved murder of her older sister.
Tom is full of regret over a missing child case from his last
The case begins to engulf all three of their lives, as they dive deeper and serech for answers.
What they start to untangle is the dark truth about what really happened to Megan!

I can't express enough how excited I am to see this is the beginning of an amazing series.
This is book one in The Fear Of Series.

I was instantly drawn to this story. The synopsis and cover intrigued me. Once I started it was so hard to stop.
Our characters are so interesting. Hannah is a great female lead.
I enjoyed her attitude and her determination. All three characters are struggling in this story and Sterling did an awesome job at setting the emotions and scene here.
The writing was amazing. The author did great a drawing me in, keeping me engaged and hooked throughout.
I was captivated from the start, devouring this read in only a few sittings.
I loved following this case with this trio and look forward to the next one.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

No Bueno Publishing,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

It was just a typical winter day in Colorado; Megan Floyd left her family home to make the hour long drive to her job at a grocery store in the next town over. Some days she would go straight home after her shift and other days, she would go home 2-3 days later. It’s been three years since Tom Floyd has seen his daughter, Megan. His marriage to Lisa is falling apart; she’s hit rock bottom and survives on pills, vodka, and one night stands.

Tom has run into so many dead ends in Megan’s case and realizes he may need some help to find her. He hires Marshall York, a local PI, to track down Megan’s friends and maybe find a clue that Tom overlooked. Marshall works the case with his assistant, Hannah, and the evidence they find takes readers into a game of cat and mouse.

This book hooked me after the first chapter. It captures your attention with the missing person case, Megan’s double life and the effort it took to find her.

This is book one in The Fear Of series and I can’t wait to see where S.C. Sterling takes us in the next book. I have a feeling that Hannah will make a comeback because I really loved her badass attitude. Plus, she has unsolved murder to solve that I’m dying to read about.

Thank you so much Netgalley and the author for approving me!

Rating : 3.65 /5..

The Fear of Winter is quite an interesting read and I had a good time reading it. The plot is common - Megan, only daughter of ex-cop Tom, went missing almost two years ago and nobody could crack the case. Grief and despair haunt Lisa and Tom, causing their marriage to fall apart. Out of desperation and as his last resort, Tom hires Marshall, another ex-cop turned Private Investigator and his assistant Hannah who are battling demons of their own..

The narration is easy-to-read but there weren't paragraph breaks which was problematic at times. It is pretty average compared to other books with similar plots and doesn't really stand out but I really, real;y liked Hannah. There's something about her, her connection with music, her resilience and unlimited love for her father, the way she carries herself that attracted me to her like a magnet.. Marshall was a bit disappointing. I thought he would proceed with more caution. Nevertheless, I would read the next book just to get more of Hannah.

Another point that I want to highlight - there are multiple graphic scenes of self harm but I don't remember reading trigger warnings. They are really detailed, so that might be something you want to consider before starting the book.

I would highly recommend this book!! The storyline kept me reading late into the night. The character development was excellent and the location really brought the story to life.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Fear of winter. This is an excellently crafted police procedural mystery I have read in awhile.
A young woman is missing and her father is determined to find out what happened to her
Tom is ex police but he is stuck. He is out of leads and he contracts two private investigators to help him.
This story is descriptive and detailed and the characters are real, flawed, and also determined to find Tom’s daughter.
Shady characters and a great locale - Colorado makes this a very good novel.
Loved it and hope for a sequel
5! Stars